


Stealing a Jule's Heart

by elizabethemerald



Series: Carmen Sandiego Stories [2]
Category: Carmen Sandiego (Cartoon 2019)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-04
Updated: 2019-10-09
Packaged: 2020-11-23 14:34:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20893652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elizabethemerald/pseuds/elizabethemerald
Summary: Like Romeo and Juliet, Carmen Sandiego finds herself on the opposing side to Julia Argent.





	1. Coffee Date

Julia Argent sat at the cafe waiting. She tried not to show how nervous she was. Carmen Sandiego the famous thief had requested an exchange. She had recently stolen a famous painting, a Monet. The ACME agency had acquired some kind of data drive. The director presumed it contained files about the VILE organization. Julia had to convince the director to make the trade, the Director felt that getting information on VILE was worth the loss of one painting, but Julia wouldn’t allow it, not that she honestly thought that Ms. Sandiego would destroy or sell the painting. 

She couldn’t believe that Carmen Sandiego had specifically requested her! Julia wasn’t usually the cool and suave type that made criminal exchanges. Julia couldn’t help but think about Carmen’s red hair, how cool and in control she always seemed. She fiddled with her tea while she waited, she absolutely couldn’t believe that this woman worked with VILE, it completely didn’t match her MO. 

“Heya Jules!” Julia started as the woman in red called her name. 

“La Femme Rouge!” Inspector Devineaux’s voice hissed in her earpiece. 

Carmen Sandiego stood before her resplendent in her scarlet trench coat and fedora, her long red hair flowed out underneath her hat. She sat down opposite Julia. 

The agent couldn’t help but notice the unique Carmen Sandiego did things. She inspected her spoon, turning it this way and that. Julia realized she was looking at the reflection of the ACME agents behind her. 

Then she started gently tapping the lapel of her jacket. At first Julia thought it was out of nervousness, till she recognized the tapping as morse code. She couldn’t tell what Carmen was saying but she was talking to someone else, likely notifying her companions about the agents surrounding them. 

Julia regreted not having established a similar manner to discuss the situation with the inspector and the director. 

“Are you ready to make the exchange Ms. Sandiego?” Julia asked. 

“Let’s not rush to talk shop. And please call me Carmen." 

"O-oh. Uh Carmen. What would you like to talk about then?" 

"How about you? What drives an art lover such as yourself to become a member of Interpol?”

“I uh, I have always felt that art and other historical pieces should be made available to everyone, and that people who steal pieces for their own gain, and risk damaging the artwork are the type that I want to see brought to justice.”

Carmen leaned forward. “I couldn’t agree more. This Monet for instance.” She tapped a tube that was strapped to her chest. “Kept in a private collection where only one person could ever see it. Not after today though!”

Julia wanted to discuss the painting more, but felt it would be rude. “What about yourself? You seem an art euthusist, what brought you to a life of high crime?”

The woman opposite her smiled at her. Julia quickly took a drink of her tea to cover her blush. “You could say I was raised to it.”

“This is not a date Agent Argent!” Inspector Devineaux’s voice roared in her ear. She involuntarily flinched and raised her hand to her ear. She hadn’t wanted to notify Carmen that she had an ear piece in, but the woman in red noticed. 

“Are your superiors insisting we complete our trade?" 

Julia nodded. She picked up the case next to her and Carmen undid the strap holding the tube. Carmen handed over the tube and grabbed the data case without looking at it closely. Julia carefully looked at the art, it matched the description, but they would have to wait for chemical analysis to confirm. 

She looked up from the painting to see that Ms. Sandiego had leaned forward, so her hat was hiding them from the agents around them. 

"May I give you a piece of advice?” Julia nodded, her face felt hot with Carmen so close. The other woman set a small red device on the table. Julia’s earpiece buzzed for a moment then went silent. “If you’re going to try and pull off a bait and switch, you have to do a more convincing job with the bait. I know how these data files look better than almost any person on the planet. I spotted the fake before I even sat down.”

“Is this a fake?” Julia clutched the painting to herself. 

“No. I always planned on giving you the painting, it belongs in the public eye.” She smiled at the other woman, and said, “I’m the bait, and the switch is complete.”

Carmen grabbed the device off the table and suddenly Julia's earpiece was filled with the sound of Chase’s swearing. 

“They’ve stolen the data file! The real one! All agents capture Carmen Sandiego! Capture the Femme Rouge!”

“Thanks for the tea Jules!” With her hat still blocking the view of the converging agents she pressed a quick peck to Julia’s cheek. Then she turned and fired her grappling hook at a truck that roared past at that moment. The line went taught and she was dragged away from the cafe. Julia carefully held onto the painting in its tube as agents rushed around her to get into their cars. She knew without looking that her ears and cheeks were bright red. 

“Monet painting secured. Heading to the lab for chemical verification.” She said into her microphone, then she took out her ear pieces, ending Chase’s stream of shouts and curses. 


	2. Museum Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Louvre Gala is the one chance each year that master thieves could possibly steal something. It's also Julia's one chance to see some of the art she loves, and the women in red she might love too.

Julia stood looking at the painting before her. She knew she should be patrolling the area for Carmen Sandiego, but this was one of her favorite pieces. She fidgeted idly with her long blue dress. She wasn't used to dressing so fancy. 

Tonight was the grand gala at the Louvre. Wealthy art lovers from all over France, and all over the world were gathered to admire the collection. There were so many people here that security was strained to their limit protecting the pieces. Which attracted master art thieves. Julia felt someone join her in looking at the painting. 

"Beautiful," a woman's voice said. 

"Yes, this is one of my favorite paintings." Julia said, then turned to face the newcomer. "How do you always find me, Ms. Sandiego?"

Carmen Sandiego could only be described as breathtaking in her red dress. Her red hair was carefully tied up in an elegant bun and she carried a small red clutch. The woman in red turned to the painting as if noticing it for the first time. 

"I just go to my favorite work of art, and somehow I find you there." Carmen said. Julia turned back to the painting. Despite her best efforts a hint of color was rising in her cheeks. That was the second time Carmen said something like that. Julia doubted she was actually talking about the art work. 

Julia watched Carmen turn to survey the room as the orchestra's song ended. There was some light clapping and several folks moved around the dance floor. As the next song started Carmen offered her a gloved hand. 

"May I have this dance?" Ms. Sandiego asked with a warm smile. Julia hesitated before taking the hand. She had been tasked with stopping the thief from taking anything. Surely Carmen couldn't steal anything if Julia was holding onto her? They walked together to the dance floor. 

"Do you mind if we talk privately?" The woman in red asked. She tapped her finger on the neckline of her dress. Julia could tell without checking that her comms were blocked. ACME really needed to update their systems so this stopped happening. 

Carmen grasped Julia's waist and begin spinning on the dance floor. Julia could feel multiple eyes on her as they danced together. Her dance partner didn't seem worried. 

"I love that dress. Blue really is your color!" Carmen said. 

"Personally I would prefer one of my suits. I've never been one for dresses." 

Carmen smiled. "I always prefer to be in my coat and hat, but we all have to play our parts tonight don't we?"

Julia was quiet for a moment, her face growing serious. "You must know you are being watched."

"Of course I am." Carmen said, while she continued guiding Julia around the dance floor. She would occasionally glance over the other woman's shoulder. "I see the Louvre security. Multiple members of Interpol. Several ACME agents and of course a few VILE operatives. Not to mention a few free agents. And they all have their eyes on me. "

Julia's surprise grew with each group Carmen listed. She was observant. Also Julia was surprised Carmen knew about the ACME agency. 

"Wait, VILE operatives? You aren't with them?" Julia needed confirmation of her theory. 

"Not any more." There was a hint of bitterness in her voice. "Not that your boss will ever believe that. Or your uh, travel partner."

They both turned their heads at the sound of a distant crash. Across the room Julia could see Chase wiping himself off. It looked like the inspector had tripped over one of the wait staff. The waiter was helping to wipe him down and gently ushering him away from the dance floor. 

“Tonight everyone has their eyes on me.” Carmen said turning them away from Chase. “The infamous thief Carmen Sandiego is here at the Louvre Gala. She chooses to dance with a former Interpol agent. What could we be whispering about here?" 

The song ended as the two women held each other close. Julia couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed that their dance was over. Still she stepped back from the woman in red. 

“That was a very pleasant dance Ms. Sandiego. But you are still a criminal, and it is my duty to bring you in. Will you accompany me willingly?” Julia held out her hand. Carmen looked around the dance floor in a panic as the next song started playing. Julia was vaguely aware of multiple people moving towards them in her periphery, but she refused to take her eyes off Carmen. 

“How about one more dance?” Carmen took Julia’s hand and held her waist. Julia couldn’t keep a small blush from rising on her face. 

“One more dance couldn’t hurt.” Julia said. Carmen smiled warmly at her and lead them into their dance. This song was more energetic than the last, with the dancing couple breaking apart and rejoining again and again. Julia allowed herself to relax and pretend. Maybe this was just a date between her and the beautiful woman in front of her. Maybe they weren’t on opposite sides of the law. Maybe this song could last forever, just the two of them twirling together. 

At one point during the song when Carmen spun away from her, Julia found herself dancing with a tall, dark Frenchman. His ears were pierced and he wore a black suit with purple accents. He looked decidedly uncomfortable to be dancing with her. He didn’t make eye contact with her the entire time they danced and at one point she barely heard him whisper, “Sorry Topo.” Why was he apologizing to a mole?

As Julia danced with the Frenchman, waiting for the break in the song she could see that Carmen was dancing with a platinum blonde. The blonde had large glasses on that seemed to glow green. Neither woman seemed happy with their dance partner. In truth it looked more like they were fighting in time to the music than dancing. 

After what felt like an agonizingly long moment the dancers split from their current partners to rejoin their original ones. Julia smiled at once again being in Carmen’s arms, but the smile dropped as she took in the woman in red’s appearance. 

Carmen had a red mark on her face like she had been hit and her hair was starting to come out of it’s bun. The worst was the slash across her chest. Four bloody lines ripped through the neckline of her dress. Julia could see the frayed wires hanging out of the dress. She suddenly realized she could hear Chase and the Chief talking in her ear again. What ever had been blocking her coms had been destroyed. 

“Carmen what happened?” Julia put her hands near the cuts. The woman in red winced but smiled. 

“Tigress was able to cut my signal blocker.” Then Carmen turned and smirked at the blonde. She held up a small object with a trigger. “But I was able to get this.”

“Bait and Switch!” The blonde screamed in rage as Ms. Sandiego pulled the trigger on the object. The lights in the Louvre immediately shut down. Amid the panicked screams, cries of rage, and shouted orders, Julia wrapped her arms around her dance partner. Carmen couldn’t steal anything if Julia was holding onto her. 

In the dark Julia felt a hand on her chin. Her face was lifted up and a kiss was pressed against her lips. She melted into the kiss. Even in the dark, with the chaos around them, this was everything she had wanted for months. Carmen pulled back and whispered Julia’s name into the dark.

The lights were only off for a few seconds, when the room was suddenly illuminated again. Julia was a little surprised to see that it was in fact Carmen she was still holding onto. The blonde and the Frenchman were both stunned to find the lights back on as they tried to break the protective glass covering on one of the pieces. They looked at the approaching guards and ran for the entrance. A few other would be thieves followed them out, with varying levels of success in their escape. 

“There was only going to be one moment, where they could have stolen something and gotten away with it. That wasn’t it.” Carmen said with a smile. Then she stepped back from Julia, their hands lingering together, before she pulled out her grappling gun, fired it at the sky light and was gone. 

Multiple guards rushed past and around Julia, but she was breathless from the kiss. And she felt a small folded piece of paper placed in her hand. She glanced at it, then slipped it away. She and other ACME agents had work to do. 


	3. After the Museum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's finally time for Julia and Carmen to talk, get their feelings out in the open. Or as open as they can be.

Julia stood at the balcony door of her hotel room. The view of the Eiffel Tower was breathtaking. Privately this was one of the best parts about working for ACME. Interpol never paid for the best rooms, but now she had an uninterrupted view of Paris. She turned away from the view, glancing at the clock as she walked into her room. Two in the morning. She was exhausted but couldn't sleep. 

Julia had spent the past couple of days working tirelessly in preparation for the Louvre Gala, then the ACME agents and the Interpol officers had their work cut out for them, arresting would be thieves and filling out paperwork. 

The Chief was annoyed that Julia had Carmen Sandiego literally in her arms but didn't capture her. Julia was able to get Chief off her back by saying that Carmen Sandiego had hinted at other VILE operatives also being there. 

ACME was now investigating the blonde Carmen had called Tigress, and the Frenchman who had danced with Julia. Hopefully eventually they would realize Carmen wasn't working with VILE. But she wasn't going to hold her breath. 

Julia walked into the bathroom, maybe a shower would help her fall asleep. As she showered she couldn't help but feel a tingle on her lips. Carmen Sandiego had kissed her. She almost felt like she was in a daze. 

The note Carmen had given her sat on her bedside table. Julia had read it again and again. "Thanks for the dance!" It read, signed Carmen. It had been folded into an origami heart. And sealed with a kiss in her red lipstick. 

Julia toweled off and wrapped herself in the plush bathrobe. She was glad Carmen had worn a different lipstick to the dance, there was no trace of the kiss they shared while the lights were off, other than her burning ears. And she had managed to pass that off as embarrassment at letting Ms. Sandiego get away. 

She emerged from the bathroom, a cloud of stream following her out. She was wearing the bathrobe, her damp hair swept back from her face. She felt a slight chill and hurried to close the balcony door. Curious. She was sure the door had been closed when she entered the shower. Unless…Julia turned around and there sitting on one of the chairs was Carmen Sandiego. She was back in her trademark hat and jacket. 

"I've already swept the room for bugs. We can speak freely." Carmen said softly. 

"Are you making house calls now Ms. Sandiego?" Julia asked. 

"I just wanted to talk, and apologize."

Julia sat down on the bed. She spent a few silent seconds organizing her thoughts. Yes she loved Carmen, but she was also an officer of the law. She needed to be sure of a few things. 

"If you want me to trust you, you need to answer some of my questions." Julia finally said. Carmen sat forward resting her arms on her knees, she nodded for her to continue. "You said you were no longer with VILE, but you were at one point?"

"I was raised by the faculty of the VILE crime academy. We had a...falling out, after I left." Carmen seemed to curl in on herself, she avoided eye contact, but she could see the glisten of tears in her eyes. Julia had never seen her looking this vulnerable. She decided against pursuing that line of questioning further. 

"What were you doing at the gala tonight?" Julia asked instead. 

"Every thief worth their salt knows the one time the Louvre collection is vulnerable is the yearly Gala. There's too many guest for security to keep an eye on everything. From my own reconnaissance I knew there was only going to be one moment where anyone could steal something and hope to get away with it. And worse of all the infamy of the theft and press coverage would increase the value of anything sold."

Carmen sighed and rubbed her face. Julia couldn't help but notice how tired the woman in red looked. "Tigress needed to knock out the power during that precise moment and she could get away with whatever she wanted. The only thing I could do was stall her. So I did. The signal blocker worked for a little while. Then I danced with you. Got everyone's attention, so the other thieves wouldn't be able to take advantage. I knew Tigress would get jealous when she wasn't the center of attention."

"Were you two...close?" Julia asked. 

"We never dated if that's what you're asking. She was the closest rival I had at the academy. She's been the angriest since my departure, the most aggressive when we meet in the field."

Julia didn't say anything. She was glad she didn't have to compete with the gorgeous blonde. After a second of silence Carmen continued. 

"We fought during the dance. You saw the aftermath of that." She gently rubbed her chest and Julia could tell she was going to have a bruise under her eye. "She was able to cut the wires of my signal blocker. But I picked her pocket and got the trigger for the EMP. I set it off before she could get in position or take it back."

Carmen leaned back a satisfied smile. "It took months of work to figure out their plan. Weeks of sleepless nights to make sure VILE had no other options while maintaining the smoke screen that they had found something no one had thought of. And it all came down to a single pocket picked during a dance.”

This was more the Carmen, Julia knew. Confident and self-assured. She couldn’t help but smile at her. 

“You said you wanted to apologize, what for?” The smile slipped from Carmen’s face. Julia almost regretted asking the question. 

“I may have painted a bit of a target on your back now. VILE will soon learn that I danced with you. They may send someone after you like they did with Chase. I’m so sorry.”

That actually wasn’t that surprising. Chase had already been targeted, Julia felt it was only a matter of time before they came for her as well. 

“I may be able to talk to my superiours about increasing my security.” Julia said slowly. 

“It might also help if you can describe a credible threat. For instance famed villain Carmen Sandiego tossing your hotel room?” Carmen suggested. 

“And have you labeled forever as a violent criminal?” Julia sat up aghast.

“I may not be violent, but I am a criminal.” She said with laugh, then she grew serious again. “It would be worth it to make sure you stay safe.”

“Then how would you come to see me again?” Julia asked. Carmen’s smile grew sad. 

“Do you actually want to see me again?” She asked in response. At Julia’s ernest nod, her smile brightened again. “I’m the greatest thief in the world. I’ve stolen from an organization of master criminals, and it seems I’ve stolen your heart as well. If I want to be close to you I’ll find a way! But for now I think it’s time for me to leave. I’ll be back in the morning to make it look like we had a fight.”

Julia smiled at her again. Carmen smiled back, then stood and walked to the balcony door.

“Carmen! Wait!” The woman in red turned. “Stay with me. At least till morning!”

Carmen turned, taking off her hat and jacket as she did so, draping them on the arm of the chair. She kicked off her boots and crawled into the bed beside Julia. They leaned against each other, hands intwined. Julia laughed to herself. The infamous thief Carmen Sandiego was in her bed! She wasn’t sure she had ever dared to dream that something like this would happen. 

It only took a few minutes for Carmen to fall asleep completely. Julia kissed her cheek gently, then allowed herself to doze off, Ms. Sandiego sleeping against her. 

Julia awoke in the early morning. Carmen was still sleeping against her. She gently carded her fingers through her red locks. Carmen made a small noise then turned and put her arm across Julia. She could tell that she was awake by the change in her breathing. 

“Good morning beautiful.” Julia whispered. 

“Mmm. Good Morning. Are you ready for me to toss your room?” Carmen said, her voice still heavy with sleep. 

“I think I’ll go down for breakfast in a little while. That should give you plenty of time to make it look convincing.” Julia murmored. “But right now I just want to stay with you.”

“So are we officially dating?”

“I think so.” Julia smiled and kissed the top of Carmen’s head. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have any Jule Thief prompts send me an ask on my tumblr. elizabethemerald.tumblr.com

**Author's Note:**

> If you have any Jule Thief requests send them to my tumblr https://elizabethemerald.tumblr.com/


End file.
